Trevor Humphreys obituary

April 1945 found our father, Trevor Humphreys, in Milan, looking up at the bodies of Benito Mussolini and Clara Petacci as they hung by the ankles from the roof girder of a petrol station. By nature a friendly and smiling man, Trevor was not impressed with the treatment meted out to Il Duce. But he had seen too much of the north Africa campaign for the sight to affect him. His preoccupation was to get home to his wife, Mari. Although they had married in 1942, they had seen little of each other.

When reflecting upon his wartime experiences, Trevor, who has died aged 92, would tell stories about near-misses, army adventures and the wonderful tenors he had heard in the opera houses of La Scala and San Carlo. Only reluctantly would he speak of the violent realities of the desert war.

He was born into the Welsh-speaking, nonconformist community in Garston, Liverpool. His father was a wheel tapper on the railways and his mother was in service. The small community had built themselves a chapel in Garston in 1866, which continued to provide for their spiritual, cultural and often romantic needs. Both of Trevor's parents were members of the congregation and his father was also precentor.

During his schooldays, Trevor contracted pneumonia three times. Without antibiotics, his treatment amounted to little more than being wrapped in wet blankets. He survived to begin work at 16 as an office junior in the Hulton colliery yard at Garston docks, retiring after his war service as chief administration officer at the National Coal Board shipping office in Liverpool.

Photographs from the 1930s reveal a tall, slim young man enjoying his life. He met Mari during a St David's day dinner at the chapel, but did not help his cause by wearing a trilby and "looking a little flash". His technique was persistence. "He gave me no peace," she said.

By 1952 they had us two boys and a new house, where they lived for 57 years. The chapel has been converted into flats. Trevor is survived by Mari, his children and four grandchildren.